As reported here by the BBC, and a myriad other places, Patricia Dunn has resigned as Chairman (Chairwoman?) of HP, effective from January 2007.

She is not going immediately, and only stepping down from the top position; she will remain at HP.

The whole situation is bad for HP, and bad press for corporations and directors of many companies, because it gives the impression that others would be willing to do the same in similar circumstances.

The delay to me seems strange, although it seems to be a common practice in companies (and politics) that when something goes wrong, you stick it out and hope you can carry on as if nothing happened. It used to be that once discovered, the person would resign and leave immediately.

Longer term, it will be interesting to see how this affects HP. It might not change what people buy their machines, but it will unnerve investors and that will affect HP's position in the marketplace, which will undoubtedly have a longer lasting effect on how HP applies itself in the years to come.

See more coverage: